Akihiro looked around; the space was incredibly surreal. Mirrors reflected distorted versions of themselves, watching him with different gazes.
—It’s very easy to tell this is a genjutsu. Why make it so obvious?— he wondered.
He thought deeply about it, but finding no answer, he simply walked toward one of the mirrors and touched it. Suddenly, he found himself in a completely different pce.
A version of himself stared back at him.
—And who are you? My evil version or some nonsense like that?— Akihiro asked.
His reflection said nothing and simply walked toward him. It extended its hand, and a kunai appeared in it.
—No way, shadow combat?— he wondered, and out of nowhere, a kunai appeared in his own hand.
Akihiro looked at the kunai in his hand.
—So, you want me to fight you and win? Interesting— he murmured.
Without giving him time to react, his reflection unched the kunai with impressive speed. Akihiro ducked just in time; the weapon whizzed over his head and embedded itself in the mirror behind him, shattering the surface and revealing a dark abyss behind the gss.
—Wow! That’s very dangerous, my dear evil copy, or whatever you are— Akihiro commented to his reflection.
With an agile movement, Akihiro threw his own kunai in response. His reflection dodged it effortlessly.
—Well, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy— he murmured as he noticed another kunai appearing in his hand.
He frowned, contempting what to do. He tried to form a hand seal, only to realize he couldn’t perform ninjutsu.
—Only hand-to-hand combat?— he wondered.
He prepared himself, adjusting his stance. Without ninjutsu at his disposal, he would have to rely on his physical training. The reflection lunged at him, and Akihiro reacted quickly, dodging the attack.
—You’re not very skilled for being my reflection— Akihiro said as he prepared for the next move. His reflection, expressionless, threw another kunai, but this time Akihiro moved quickly, sliding to the side and grabbing the weapon mid-air before it hit the ground. Without wasting time, he feinted, throwing the kunai at his reflection's head.
The reflection leaned back, dodging the attack with surprising agility.
—I take that back; you’re really good— Akihiro commented, feeling adrenaline start to flow through his system. Instead of being intimidated, he smiled. If this was a game, he would py to win.
Determined, he lunged forward. He aimed a punch at his reflection’s face, but it blocked it with one hand. They engaged in a battle of strength, Akihiro's eyes shining with murderous intent.
—Unfortunately for you, this is the end!— he shouted as he tightened his grip and kicked his reflection in the stomach. The reflection, unable to dodge, took the full force of the blow and froze momentarily.
—Game over— he shouted as he extended his hand, making a kunai appear and bringing it down toward his reflection's head, driving it deep.
The reflection fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Immediately, the space around him distorted, and he found himself back in the training field.
—Congratutions, you surprisingly managed to win!— said a voice.
Akihiro turned to find Miyuki and a man beside her.
—And who are you?— Akihiro asked.
—I’m the person who put you in the genjutsu; nice to meet you— he replied, extending his hand.
Akihiro frowned and extended his hand.
—Akihiro Takeshi— he continued—. And what about my teammates?— he asked.
—Aiko woke up a while ago, and Hiroshi is still in the genjutsu— he commented, pointing to Aiko, who was resting under a tree, and Hiroshi, who stood staring into space.
Akihiro nodded at Aiko, and they did the same. He looked at Miyuki.
—So, why did this happen?— he asked.
Miyuki simply said:
—Wait for Hiroshi to wake up, then I’ll expin.
Akihiro nodded and sat next to Aiko. He was mentally exhausted, so he wanted to rest for a bit.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Hiroshi to emerge from the genjutsu. Although he was a bit shaken, he managed to calm down after a few minutes.
Once Hiroshi was okay, the group awaited an expnation for why they had been trapped in a genjutsu.
—The reason is quite simple, really. First, I wanted you to experience being trapped in a genjutsu. This way, you will be familiar with them, and next time it will be easier to deal with one— he responded, extending a finger.
Akihiro and the others nodded. Although they weren’t happy about it, they knew it was better to become familiar with genjutsu before having to fight one in a real battle.
—The other reason was to test your innate talent for genjutsu.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked confused; they didn’t understand how being trapped in a genjutsu reted to having talent for it.
—If you’re wondering what the connection is, it’s quite simple. Genjutsu is closely tied to the mind, or more specifically, to the Yin Element. The greater the amount of spiritual energy, the more powerful the mind, and the easier it is to escape from one. Of course, there are certain exceptions— he said, looking at Aiko—. But in general, the stronger the mind, the less susceptible one is to genjutsu, and at the same time, the greater the compatibility with them.
The group felt a bit dazed by the amount of information; even Akihiro, who had some knowledge of the original work, was bewildered.
—So, do we have talent or not? —Aiko asked.
—Well, in terms of spiritual energy, the one with the most is Akihiro, and the one with the least is Hiroshi— he replied. —Although Aiko managed to escape first, it’s more due to using somewhat... peculiar methods to get out of it— he commented while looking at his student, who responded with a smile.
—Do I have talent for genjutsu? —Akihiro asked.
—Well, you meet the requirements; whether you can master it or not depends entirely on you— he replied. —Anyway, that’s all for today. You can go home and take the rest of the week off; when you come back, I’ll have a surprise for you— he said as he said goodbye.
The group bid farewell and dispersed. Normally, they would go out to eat or hang out, but this time they were too tired for that.
